001Thank you. Okay, give us about two minutes and we're going to start. I have to deal with one one technical issue real quick. Okay, good evening. Uh, first I want to thank all of you for attending our validictorian uh, policy town hall meeting and um, before I get started, I want to invite our interpreters to provide some information on those u who may need access to the materials and comments. What? Good evening. Thank you. member the mother love Tanwad. >> Thank you. Okay, first I'm going to briefly introduce the people on stage with me. We have our high school principles. Brad Edmonds, our host principal, Rosa Rubio from Justin Garza High School, [applause] and Lori Gbero from Central High School. [applause] Now, I want to be clear that this is a town hall. This is
002not, you know, this is not the usual board meeting. So, we have board members here. They're in the audience, but this is a town hall meeting. I want to thank all of you for making time to come out tonight. If you don't know me, I'm Dr. Marshall, your proud superintendent. And uh as when you as you came in, there should have been a a QR code filled out if you plan to speak this evening. So, I want to just go back. I have a slide that kind of just gives a just takes us to where we are now tonight. Uh in 2021, uh Central uh Unified had a policy of 4 point or higher for in all ages and classes. This is in 2021. In 2022, the policy was revised and with review and then
003they allowed um A's or B's as long as the students grades stayed above 4.0 overall. Now, there's recently been a a proposal to allow C-grades as long as prop the grade average remains more than a 4.0 and and because of the dual AP and dual enrollment classes, that's possible. So, that takes us uh to where we are now. If you're here, you have a chance to speak and get and give us your opinion. We want to hear from everyone as far as your opinions on this topic. This is a listening session, so there's no action will be taken tonight. Uh some rules. Each speaker is entitled to three minutes each. We're not allowed to share deferred time. And again, I want to say that it's a listening session. We want to hear input and we
004we tried to start at 6 to give you uh roughly two hours until 8 to finish. So, at this time, what happens next in the process? I'm going to bring up Mr. Day. He's going to kind of walk us through this. Yes, sir. Thank you, Dr. Marshall. So, uh, and again, I apologize to the audience here tonight if I do mispronounce your name, but we will call in order of received from the Google form. Uh, first up representing Justin Garza High School, we have Damen Thomas Mazlowski. again. Uh, coming up next is Damen Thomas Mazowski. All right, at this time we'll have Elena Vincent from Justin Garza High School. Once again, we'll have Elena Vincent from Justin Garza High School. Up next, we'll have also reping Justin Garza High School, parent Victoria R. Once again,
005also representing Justin Garza High School, Victoria R. Next on the list, also representing Justin Garza High School, Maya Zong. If you would like to speak this evening, you can scan the QR code that's on the table. If you fill that out, then we will call your name and then you will have three minutes to come up and speak. So, if you filled out a form earlier, that was purely a digital form for us to receive feedback so that we can pass on to administration. But if you did not fill out this form this evening, your name will not be called up. So, if you want to speak this evening, scan this QR code, fill out this form, and then we can call you up. So, then that way you can give your feedback. Next school.
006There we go. Next from Justin Garza High School. Oriu. And yes, this is indeed the same form. Yes. Last call again from Justin Garza High School, Ory VU. Next up, representing Justin Garza High School, Harkl Pit Singh Don't up. Okay, while we're waiting, I wanted to commend all of you for your uh being respectful uh as they call the names. I mean, that's one thing I didn't say that we um respect each other's viewpoints. So, thank you for that. >> Thank you, Dr. Marshall. Next up from Justin Garza High School, if we have Gerertap Singh Gal timer or >> Okay, got you. Got you. So, I stand here before you today as a number one rank in Justin Garz's class of 2027 and on track to be valictorian. Despite my high position, you would think
007I'd be support of restricting our valatoran policy into limiting the title to few as possible. However, no. Our valatoran policy currently does not represent what Central unified stands for. I ask you to place yourselves in the shoe of a AP student with a 79.9 G uh with a 79.9 C plus in an AP class. When if if that student has asked their teacher to round that to a B, the teacher, staff, and admin as well as counselors will all respond with that C is a B because that is an augmented GPA. That student is told that their C would be considered a B. But when it comes to their validictorian status, that C disqualifies them. I am not against the teacher rounding. I am not against our grading system. I am not against anything like
008that. The teacher has the autonomy to grade and that is their right. But a student should not be told that their C would count as a B just uh in augmented GPA. But when it comes to val Victorian policy, that would disqualify them. Moreover, I've been told by students and staff that changing the valictorian policy would water down its prestige. This is absolutely incorrect. By providing recognition for the hard work our students have been putting in, we are recognizing and raising the standards of our district. In 10 years time when I look back on my award or when valictorian looks back upon their award they will not see applause or an audience before them but they will be recognized in internally and intrinsically they will see that the hard work that they put in was
009recognized by the district. Furthermore I ask you to place yourselves in the shoes of an AP student again. If this AP student is taking two classes of AP and they're they try to take a third class, but they step back because they are uncomfortable with that third AP class if that third AP class is a harder AP class such as AP CAM or AP physics, that student steps back from that third AP class or fourth AP class or whatever it may be because they were scared if they qualifi uh if they get a C in that class, they will be disqualified for valuatoran. This is limiting our enrollment uh AP classes. For example, AP physics at Justin Garza only has nine students. Okay. So, if we are open up to violator policy, we would allow
010our uh enrollment numbers and these advanced classes to rise. And so, we are providing opportunity and a pathway to success for our students. Currently, there are 400 graduating seniors. 400 an odd number. That's 400 careers, 400 jobs, 400 families whose entire course could be changed with just the letter grade of a C. Furthermore, I know my time's about to run out, but I want to clarify real quick. I am asking for the valator policy to be C's and all AP honors and advanced classes should be considered for valator policy. C's and regular classes should not be qualified for valatoran policy and that D and D's and Fs should disqualify valatorans. This will maintain the rigor of our classes. Thank you. Next up, also representing Justin Garza High School, student Emily Jazelle Gonzalez representing Central East
011High School, Madison Lynn. Should I begin? Okay. Good evening, board of trustees, cabinet members, and central unified community. I am Madison Lynn, a senior here at Central East High School. This year, I will be graduate graduating as a number one student in the class of 2026. I have earned an unweighted GPA of a 4.0 know throughout my four years of high school while maintain while taking honors courses, AP courses, and dual courses. Tonight, I will be delivering remarks on behalf of my college and career adviser, Jill Brooks. Mrs. Brooks has been working in this role for the past nine years and has assisted thousands of students with college applications. She has also served as an application reader for UC Irvine for two years. Her experience makes her well qualified to understand student GPA calculations, college
012application processes, and the way higher education interprets student academic achievement. She helped author the current district policy on valictorians. Miss Brooks wants to provide some context to this current policy. The decision to construct the current policy, which recognizes students with an awaited GPA of over a 4.0 who did not receive any C's, D's, or Fs, was a result of several hours of discussions. We concluded that the award of valadictorian was intended to be the highest academic recognition and wrote a policy that reflected this intention. I would like to provide some clarity on the arguments that may be made. Tonight, valor is one of several ways our district recognizes academic achievement of graduating seniors. Students have the opportunity to get recognized through CSF, California scholarship federation, NHS National Honor Society, and the Scholar of Excellence Award.
013Each of these awards allows for flexibility within the grading policy. We felt that we needed to set validictorian awards apart from these. It was valid to set a higher expectation. Strictly basing validictorian on GPA is not a perfect science. The number of augmented courses a student can take has increased significantly over the last 5 years with the dual enrollment and honors courses being added to our cataloges. As a result, a weighted GPA can be as high as a 4.8. A student with a 4.0 0 could mathematically have several grades below an A or even an F and still maintain a 4.0. Our solution was to restrict this to grades of B's and A's only. Other district other districts in the UC application system has adopted a policy of only allowing eight augmented grades to count
014towards a GPA calculation in response to the grade inflation that can occur with multiple augmented grades. The title of editor is bestowed upon a student during their eighth semester of senior year. Most college applications are submitted by the end of November. This is not an award that a student should ever be claiming to have earned on a college application. And as a UC application reader, Miss Brooks can tell you that it would be not considered as part as an evaluative review process of an application. It is my belief that the validator is an award of our highest academic merit. The policy the policy should be rigorous because the academic achievement is impressive. Thank you. Isco Alio Delamora. At this time, please representing Central East High School, Landon Berningber. Good evening, board of trustees, cabinet members,
015and Central Unified community. My name is Leonard Brunerber, and I'm a sophomore at Central East. Today, I am reading a letter on behalf of the recent Central East validictorian. Unfortunately, he cannot join us here though as he is studying at Harvard University. The letter reads, "Good evening. My name is Samuel Ruiz MS. When I learned that Central Unified validictorian policy was being changed, I felt compelled to share my perspective. During my time at Central East, I took 11 APs, three dual enrollment courses, and three honors courses, each of which augmented my GPA. I was one of the pilot students of the dual enrollment program, and I criticized the effects on GPA immediately. The number of classes that now augment your GPA is substantial. I could have received C's in all of my sophomore and junior
016year AP classes. Yet, due to the grade inflation of other courses, such as dual enrollment and honors courses, I would have maintained a 4.0 GPA. There was a point where I took leadership, which required over 100 hours of service. My friend with the exact schedule as me, except for a TA period instead of leadership, had a 5.0, while I had a 4.87. By solely looking at GPA, it seemed as though he was doing more work when in reality, I put myself in a much tougher setting. I knew multiple people in the situation where they received a C and did not achieve validictorian status despite their GPA. Yet, none complained since they knew that they had a direct impact on their award. Their drop in effort led to a drop in merit. But still, many received
017the title of scholar of excellence, CSF awards, and NHS recognition. This attempt to change the policy isn't just an adjustment of the validictorian status. It is an attack on the academic vitality of Central Unified. I often found myself annoyed with the policies of CUSD and how academics were put on the back burner. This policy could change could be the last nail in the coffin to devaluate a center unified education beyond the validictorian status. As a student at Harvard University, I found it amusing to meet many people who were not the valadictorian at their respective schools, yet were still the ones accepted. Instead, they had kept a competitive schedule of classes, maintained good grades, and put in extreme effort in other activities far beyond the valid validictorian. They had the merit and therefore they earned their
018spot at Harvard. I implore Central Unified to rethink the policy so that merit can be the sole reflection of this award rather than simply a participation trophy that everyone gets and where no one tries to be better to better themselves in the process. Thank you. Next up is representative from Central High School, parent Woodard. I'm short. Sorry. Good evening, Central family, students, staff, and members. Sorry. My name is Mrs. Woodard and I'm a parent here in Central Unified of a junior at Central West High School. As a validictorian, you hold a certain honor amongst your peers, staff, and future students of your school. It is of utmost recognition for those students who work hard each and every day while putting sacrifices for other things to decide so that academics could be the first and foremost
019in their education. A student pursuing the validictorian title should be somebody who worked hard and put in the hours of hard work and commitment during their high school years. A validictorian should be somebody who has made an exception too. It is somebody who has challenged themselves to commit themselves and to honor themselves with the academic GPA year after year. As a parent of a student who currently goes to Central West who is excelling in making that mark, there is no mistake that she is well and the rest of the family who have made those sacrifices to get where she is today and holding a current GPA of 4.88. A validictorian should not be anyone who are there any rules set in place for a reason. There are no exceptions. There are no committees who can
020look at certain circumstances and a clear and cut date that it is marked. The title of a validictorian is awarded to students who maintain a 4.0 weighted GPA over those semesters in high school. As a conclusion for that seventh semester, GPA are verified. Students with weighted GPA of 4.0 and above will be notified that they are validictorians and is current in state. Students with any C's, D's, or Fs are disqualified. [snorts] If I am the one and the voice that you hear, current policy should not change. Validictorians are recognized as senior awards and graduation with the medallion. The number two ranked student is awarded the title of Magnaum Latte. The number one ranked student is awarded the title of Sumakum Lad [snorts] and will speak at that graduation. Thank you for your time and for
021your hearing of my input as a parent in Central Unified. Don't change what isn't broken. Be proud and hold that role and be proud to be the person and how it is earned. Thank you. >> Next up from Justin Garza High School, student Namisha Desi. Good evening everyone. My name is Namisha Desi and I'm a senior at Justin Garza High School. I'm here to respectfully ask you to reconsider the policy that states receiving a C in an augumented class automatically disqualifies a student from being validictorian. During the first semester of my junior year, I earned a 79.7 in an augmented course, just 3/10en of a point away from a B. Under the current policy that single grade outweighs years of academic effort and achievement, argumented classes are meant to challenge students. A policy that penalizes
022students for taking more rigorous courses discourages academic risk-taking rather than rewarding it. Validatoran status should reflect overall performance and consistency, not one borderline grade in a single semester. I understand this policy may have been created to maintain high academic standards and I agree that students are important or that standards are important but one single grade shouldn't outweigh years of hard work and overall performance. I respectfully ask that this policy be reconsidered so students are recognized for their full academic record not one single moment. Thank you for your time and consideration. Next up from Justin Garza High School, student Sukman Pit Ry. Good evening everyone. My name is Sukman Pri Karai and I am a senior at Central Unified. Today I speak not only for myself but for all of the hardworking students across all high
023schools in Central Unified who share a similar story. I have taken multiple augmented and advanced courses while balancing extracurriculars in high school to challenge myself and explore different subjects. Unfortunately, I received I recently received a C on my transcript for the first semester of the AP Calculus AB class that I took as a junior. While many often say that grades do not define a student, I believe that in this case, this grade does define me. It represents the countless hours and nights before exams that I've dedicated to maintaining a 4.0 plus GPA. It reflects my character, my perseverance, and my willingness to challenge myself academically. Though I pushed myself, much like other dedicated students, I was able to receive a B in the second semester of that year. At Justin Garza, we are taught to
024stand for more and strive for success alongside peers who, like me, took on rigorous coursework and may not have earned an A, but did not fall short in effort or integrity. Although that grade may be something I got, it would be unfair to overlook what went into it or anything that was going on outside of it. At the end of the day, it isn't just a title or a medal. It's the recognition and award that I feel students in high honors in a school deserve regardless of their circumstances. It would be unreasonable to compare two students based on how many AP classes or extracurriculars they took because these are the students with high ambitions and unique paths. At the end of the day, it's a personal choice to want to work hard as hard as
025possible. But recognizing more students does not diminish anyone's effort or achievements. The validictorian eligibility policy in question even acknowledges grades in augumented courses. I asked that to have this policy reconsidered and reviewed. Now that I am graduating in a few months, I feel compelled to speak up for other seniors as well as myself while asking for timely action. Due to that fact, it would only make sense to take action before it is too late for those graduating in June this year. It would be unjust to let hard work be diminished because a student challenged themselves with a difficult class even if they did not get the grade they expected. These are the same students with high ambitions and a dedicated mindset who simply want the same recognition. Thank you for your time and recognition. Next,
026representing Justin Garza High School student Ramnique Bra. Good evening, Central Unified Administrators, board of trustees, teachers, and fellow students. My name is Remnique Bra and I'm a junior at Justin Garza High School. I stand before you to speak on the topic of the valadictorian policy. I'm here to respectfully oppose the proposed change to our validictorian policy that would allow C students with C's to be eligible for this high honor and we and urge that we keep it the way it currently stands. Before I begin, I want to be clear about something. I have taken multiple accelerated honors and AP classes while balancing sports, extracurriculars, and my part-time job. So, I am aware of the struggle these classes entail. This is not about putting down anyone who has struggled in a class or received a C.
027Every student works hard, faces different challenges and deserves respect. The role of but the role of validictorian has always stood for something specific constant um academic excellence over four years. The word valadictorian isn't just an award or a title. It represents the highest level of achievement our school recognizes. It's meant to honor students who have demonstrated exceptional commitment, discipline, and mastery across all their coursework. Allowing C's into that standard changes what the title means. Grades are not perfect, but they are one of the clearest and most consistent ways schools measure academic performance. By today's standards, a C indicates average. If we say that average performance can still qualify as the very highest honor, we blur the line between doing well in school and doing it and going above and beyond and doing exceptionally well. There's
028also the issue of fairness. Many stu students in years past and today, like myself, have made numerous sacrifices. Late nights, miss social events, extra stress just to maintain these exceptionally high grades. Changing the policy now tells those students that the standard they work so hard for toward no longer matters as much. That's discouraging and it risks sending the message that effort and consistency is optional at the highest level. Some argue that expanding eligibility makes the system more inclusive as well as that one bad grade defines them and their effort. Inclusion is important, but recognition should match the purpose of that honor. A singular bad grade you may have received doesn't define you as a person or a student. What does matter is how you perceive it and respond to it. A validictorian is not someone
029who's never faced difficulty, but someone who consistently met the highest academic standard over time. Allowing occasional setbacks does not require lowering that standard. Instead, it reminds us that growth and excellence can coexist without redefining what this honor represents. Standards don't exist to exclude people. They exist to give meaning to achievement. If we lower standards, we don't lift students up. We weaken the value of the recognition itself. Overall, keeping the current validictorian policy isn't about being unfair. It's about preserving the value and integrity of an honor that represents the very best of academic achievement in our district. We can support all students while still holding on to high standards. Thank you for your time. >> Next, representing Justin Garza High School student Gil. Hi, good afternoon to all. I'm going to make a quick and simple
030statement. My name is Prominard Gil and I am a junior and I am on the road to be validictorian in Justin Garza High School. For as long as I can remember, the policy was always A's and B's. I have played two sports and balanced honors, accelerated and AP classes while al also doing extracurriculars, community service, and managing clubs. I am not trying to degrade anyone because everyone works differently and some classes are harder than others. But changing this policy affects how much effort will be put into classes since the standards are being lowered. Our school is already generous enough with accepting B's since some districts only accept A's, which gives us students some space to try new and harder classes. Valadictorian is a high achieving title and lowering standards lowers its meaning. Thank you. Also
031representing Justin Garza High School, student Hariman Carr Gurall. Good evening, board of trustees. I'm Marcerwell. I'm a freshman at Justin Garza. And we need the value valuatoran policy to change because students who have C's an AP and honors AP honors classes and dual enrollment classes should not be disqualif title as a valuing pictorian. Thank you very much. [applause] >> Representing Justin Garza High School student Jasmine Jahal. Good evening board members. I would like for the validatoran policy to change and include C's in augmented courses. These students who challenge themselves by taking rigorous courses, but received an unexpected grade that does not reflect their true effort. Many of them have maintained a 4.0 no GPA, balance school with work and sports, and spent countless hours preparing for exams. How does this current policy reward students who
032take on honors and AP courses compared to those who choose not to challenge themselves? Thank you. >> From Justin Garza High School, student Japan Dylan. Good evening. I'm a senior at Justin Garza and over the past seven semesters of my time here, I have achieved a cumulative GPA of a 4.68 and taken nearly every AP and honors class offered at Justin Garza. I understand very well the sacrifice that it takes to be successful at such a high level and to be validictorian. I'm currently number one student in my in my class and on track to be the summad validictorian. I understand the sacrifices that I and so many of my peers have made in the pursuit of this high honor. However, I do not believe that students who get C's and AP classes should be
033excluded from being validictorians because it makes allowing them to be validictorian makes the policy much more equitable. At Justin Garza, we strive for success and we never give up. And those students who challenged themselves by taking AP classes were living up to the principles that Justin Garza embodies. They were standing for more by challenging themselves and pushing themselves to take harder classes. One C in one class does not make a student average. It shows that they pushed themselves to their limit and did the best that they could. Those students who got a 79.9% in one AP class should not be excluded from being validictorian as they deserve. Unlike some of my peers, I do not believe that this waters down our achievements at all. Four months from now, when I am graduating, I will look
034out at my peers and see the people who worked hard across the past four years of our high school experience. I won't see people who got C's as average. I will see them as my peers who worked just as hard as I did, but may not have had the same resources to succeed as I did. I have been lucky to have great relationships with my teachers, to have a supportive family, and a lot of support to get to where I am today. But not all of my peers have been as fortunate. They all pushed themselves as hard as they could. And even if they got one C in one class, that doesn't mean that they're average. That one grade should not define them. Students who get C's in AP and honors classes should still be
035considered for validictorian if they're able to maintain a 4.0 GPA because it makes everything much more equitable for students. Those students who got a 79.9% were on the very edge of that C. In many cases, that that grades is decided simply by how much the teacher likes them. One student that has a 79.9 might get rounded while another doesn't. And I do not believe that it is fair to exclude students from an honor such as validictorian just because of something like that. Thank you. representing Justin Garza High School student Dil Jot Singh Ry. Good evening. Some argue rigor and others worry about the numbers of certificates that must be printed. But the real question is why does earning a single C outweigh the years of demonstrated rigor, perseverance, and academic excellence? If we treat the
036augmented CG grade as grounds for disqualification, we send the wrong message to the students. We discourage them from challenging themselves, from enrolling in AP or dual enrollment classes, and we discourage them from pushing through difficulty when learning gets hard. Our system should reward growth commitment, not punish students for choosing rigor over comfort. So the question before is simple. Do we want high-erforming students to take AP or dual enrollment classes and challenge themselves? Or do we want them to avoid rigor, choose all regular classes, and protect their validictorian status by just chasing those straight A's? That right there is the true question that stands before us today. I'd like to take a moment to explain this. If a student takes all regular classes and gets all A's in those regular classes, they then will have a
0374.0 GPA, which classifies them as validictorian. Is that student exactly the same as a student who pushed themselves, who challenged themselves by taking those AP classes and has well above a 4.0 GPA and is not considered validictorian because of a single C that they received in an augmented course. And I would also like to take a moment to say if we really are looking at the current policy, it includes students that have B's. And we should really think about switching towards the model of where only A's are allowed for validictorians and number one and number two are the only real validictorians if we're really trying to exclude everybody. This is not an argument about excluding or inclusivity and increasing it. This is just about equity across the board. I just really urge you all to
038consider if we're looking at this from a direction of where our number one and number two are the only real validictorians. The rest of us should just have a different award. Then this just stops the question completely. Those students that have B's won't be considered validictorian either and those that have straight A's at number one and number two who are the real validictorians will be considered validictorian and everybody else gets a different award. So that is the real question today. Thank you so much [applause] from Central High School. Myra Calanas Velasquez. Next from Justin Garza High School. Summer Pre carla. Good evening everyone. Um my name is Summer Pri and I'm a sophomore currently at Justin Garza High School and I'm here to talk about changing the validictorian policy so it failure recognizes students who
039are challenging who are taking these challenging courses and overcome real obstacles at the same time. Right now as many of my peers have already said augmented is only A's and B's and to qualify this doesn't really reflect the hard work and dedication or resilience. For example, my friend who graduated last year, Kira Wong, took a heavy load of APs and dual enrollments, but she got one C plus in a very hard class, AP world. For this, she did not get any validictorian status. And her mental health and all these responsibilities, she had taken on well these classes still did not make her eligible even with the 4.0. Even though she worked tirelessly, challenged herself more than most students. These affects many students and some also try to avoid these harder classes like AP world history
040and the fear of getting a lower grade. Currently in my AP world class there's only 14 students because students are scared of getting that lower grade and losing their val validator allegibility. I apologize and few and so students face greater challenges. students who their students such as myself who switch between foster homes who are covered in scars and still work tireless nights get those strong grades and yet they earned that lower grade in these AP and augmented classes and policy does not recognize their effort and their resilience. I proper propose the validatoran policy be updated where an AP and augmented class uh classes are weighted for the same exact reason. So for example, a C plus in AP class like AP physics where we only have nine students that can reflect the same exact dedication
041as a student that has an A+ in the class and a single lower grade should not automatically disqualify a student who maintains a strong overall performance. This change would reward hard work, pers perseverance and resilience and encourage students who take challenging courses and recognize those with real effort and students who put into their education. Valadictorians should honor their journey, dedication, and their heart, not just a perfectionist on a report card. Have a good evening. Thank you. Next, we have from Justin Garza High School, Shila Adams. Good evening. Oh, one second. Can I lift this up? Sorry. On a short peri can Okay, there you go. Uh good evening board. I am a a previous student at Justin Garza High School and my main um argument today is to share about my experience of me being
042impacted by this. Um during my sophomore year, I was told by one of my previous teachers for me to become a valet Victorian, I had to take all the AP classes, all of the augmented classes, everything that was hard. And just like another student, I had a very rough life um growing up and I was dealing with a court case at the time as a child. And I was trying my best in a math 3 trigonometry class and math was never really my subject, but I tried my best and I tried to persevere the best way possible to get the grade that I could. Once I had realized two weeks into me being into the class, I knew it was not going to be for me. I knew it was too too fast-paced and I
043knew that every single test that I was taking at that point, I had failed. I had went to a counselor, my counselor at the time, and expressed to him, I need to leave this class. I need to drop this class. Valid Victorian is my goal. And he expressed to me that it was too late for me to drop out of my class and that I could only stay in it and I would have to finish the semester out. And this was maybe two weeks after the deadline had closed for me to end the class. I was told to persevere, keep trying my best, and if anything happened, I can always change. So, when the deadline was closed and I was told that that opportunity was taken away from me, now that I'm stuck in a
044class to where I know I'm not going to pass and I'm going to fail this class, after that, the following semester, the spring semester, I ended up having a meeting again with my mother and my counselor and he ended up telling me that I could actually take the class. I mean, not take the class, excuse me, drop out of the class. I could have left the class and now it is permanently on my G on my record. It's on my GPA and that affects me towards my end goal as valid Victorian. Now I concur that even in my senior year there was another individual who whom this had happened to in a augmented class accelerated class excuse me for an augmented grade and they were taken out two months before our graduation and was put
045into a position as TA to just get a passing grade. What I'm saying is we and as I've expressed previously in other board meetings is that it is not an equal playing field for a lot of students and there are certain students who get an easier pass or systems are switched for them while students who are actually struggling end up suffering because it is not a even playing field for all the students. So what I am asking for today is that I know there have been students who were in my position who needed to drop out of a class who in go was valid Victorian and could not receive the goal that they were striving after. I don't want this to happen to any other student. So I want to make sure that there is
046a policy that is implemented straight across the board that showcases that no students can be able to switch out of classes, especially two months before graduation to make it easier for them. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Next from Justin Garza High School, Nicholas Lopez Deassus. Okay. Dear uh town hall board, my name is Nicholas Lopez and I came here to share my thoughts and perspectives regarding this concern for the validictorian policy and changing the eligibility for validictorian. I am a junior at Justin Garza High School and as long as I can remember, our school has has had a clear and consistent policy which was earning a C makes a student ineligible for the title of validictorian. Students choose their classes around this policy and they made the decision at their own accord to ch uh
047choose this difficult class which requires a longer period of time a loaded for and possibly deprived time from their social life. Many students like myself have gone through sleepless nights just so they are grades in these rigorous classes won't drop and they're still considered eligible for the validictorian status. Changing this title now will not only be not fair to the previous graduates but also to the future students. Changing the policy essentially changing how much effort students will put towards their academics. Less effort will be put in and it sends a message that if they are still able to earn a C which is considered average by standards they will still be part of academically rigorous students at the top of their class which is what a validictorian stands for. The title validictorian would lose its
048true meaning. Students who put in all their effort would feel discouraged because they did not need to work as hard as others to get that title. Other school districts in the Central Valley only allow A's. So our current expectation are pretty generous to begin with allowing B's. This flexibility balances fairness with excellence and is something that we should be grateful for. not demanding change for it. Expanding eligibility further to include C's would significantly lower academic standards and diminish the meaning of the honor that a validictorian holds. If any changes to the policy are to be considered, I strongly believe that we should move towards strengthening strengthening not weakening academics expectations. An aonly eligibility requirement would better reflect the prestige and purpose of the validictorian title. However, regardless of the direction, any change should apply only
049to future graduating class so that all students are given equal notice and a fair opportunity to meet the requirement. At its core, this is an issue about trust. Student trust that the rules set before them will be honored. When policy shift retroactively, the trust is broken and the message received is that commitment and long-term effort do not truly matter. Thank you for taking your time to consider my perspective and for listening to the voices of other students who who care deeply about fairness, effort, and academic excellence. Thank you. Next, we have from Central East High School, Dimmitri Cardinz. Um, okay. First, some background. I am a senior at Central East High School. I participate in track and field. I train year round. I do numerous extracurricular activities and I'm also a leadership student. With the
050matter of allowing C's to be recognized and given the opportunity to get the validictorian award, I'm asking that this should not be given. We as a student population should be able to understand the effort and mental demand we put among ourselves to achieve these awards that our schools provide. We are the ones to put in the effort. We are the ones who decide if we make it. There are standards set in place to define what it means to hold academic excellence. To show what we are capable of, but with the standard constantly moving, where does it end? We move the finish line. We change obstacles. And we do not see an issue. What message do we send to our students, our alumni, and our community about how hard we try and the effort we put
051in? It's not just about being a validictorian. We continue to make changes regarding our ed education and matters of credits and now grades to award these achievements to our students. Yes, some students may struggle more than others when it comes to schooling and grading. But it's the standard we must meet. What should we tell our alumni? Will we go back and give the validictorian title title to all of those students? How can we define the line? What do we tell the students who actively put in their all to their work? The students with late night studying, stressing over exams, and even learning outside on their own to make sure that they don't only excel in their sport or extracurriculars, but their academics as well. And now I will take this moment to not only point
052out that this doesn't only affect our students, it affects our educators as well. What do we tell our educators at the end of the day when they come back from work stressed, worrying, or even come sometimes crying to others about how these students come into their classes every day not worried about their grades and told and aware of the fact that if they just show up and do the bare minimum, they're going to fly. We can't set that as the standard. When we go into the real world, people aren't going to cater to our every need. And we although that is harsh, we must make that a clear point. We have to set up our students and our underassmen, our younger generations for success. We can't continue to change the line, especially if it sets
053them up for failure. Thank you. >> Next, representing Justin Garza High School, Amina Carr. Good evening. My name is Amonic Carr and I am currently a junior at Justin Garza High School. I want to thank everyone for taking the time out of their evening to be here tonight. I'm here today to pro propose a change in our current validictorian policy. Right now, students must maintain a 4.0 GPA with only A's and B's allowed. I believe this policy should be updated so that students must maintain above a 4.0 weighted GPA with C's allowed in AP classes. Speaking from personal experience, I took AP physics, ranked as one of the hardest AP classes, and received a C with a 78% last semester. I asked my teacher if it could be rounded, but they explained that a C
054in an AP class is already treated like a B because of the rigor. So that made me wonder if a C in an AP class is already considered a B in terms of difficulty, why can't that same idea apply to our validictorian policy? Why can't that C be allowed if there why can't that C be allowed if it's already being treated like a B? Earning that C took way more effort than if I had taken an easier class and gotten an A while actually getting some sleep that night. I pushed myself and chose rigor over comfort. Meanwhile, if my schedule were filled with non- augmented classes, earning and maintaining a 4.0 would honestly be simpler, but without the same challenge or preparation for college. The new requirement of being above a 4.0 weighted GPA would
055still push students to apply themselves and take rigorous courses. Having a 4.0 with easier classes is much simpler, but earning above a 4.0 usually means students are taking AP and advanced courses and truly challenging themselves. This shows academic effort, which to me is what it truly means to be a validictorian. Some people might worry that allowing season AP classes would make validictorian status much easier to achieve and take away from its weight. But students would still need to stay above a 4.0 GPA. If someone earned multiple season AP classes, their GPA would drop below that requirement. So, this doesn't make things easier. It simply gives grace to students who challenge themselves while keeping the expectations high. This would allow the valadictorian group to still reflect the brightest across the graduating class. And this grace would
056only apply to AP classes, which are some of the most rigorous courses offered at our school. These classes demand significantly more time, effort, and critical thinking. This is not the same as dual enrollment classes. While still valuable, are often structured differently, and can be more flexible. What we are asking for is grace, specifically in AP classes where students are taking on some of the hardest academic challenges available to them. This should be celebrated not punished. Awards like CSF or NHS are meaningful but they don't carry the same weight as valadictorian which many students dream about and work towards for years. And it's unfortunate for that dream to slip away simply because a student chose to challenge themselves in one very difficult course. Right now, this apology discourages students from taking harder AP classes because they're
057afraid one tough grade could cost them their validictorian status, pushing students to play it safe. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Next from Justin Garza High School, Karen RP Carr. Good after Good afternoon. I'm Karen RP and I'm a freshman in Justin Garza High School. Season AP honors and advanced classes should not disqualify you from being able to be valid Victorian. Thank you. R. >> Good evening. Good. Good evening everyone. I'm Joben Pri, a freshman Justin Garza High School. I want to say receiving a C in AP honors or advanced classes should not automatically disqualify a student from valatoran consideration. A concern is raised that Central Unified will be looked upon as the easier district with low standards. The only just response we have to that is that our duty is our kids
058first, then our community. We have no obligation to what other districts think of this. In fact, districts around us like King Canyon, Dauba, and Kerman all accept C's and advanced classes for their students. This policy would increase our enrollment numbers and harder courses. We ask the district to fulfill its duties to students first. Thank you. >> Next from Justin Garza High School, Alani Kandan. Good evening everyone. As a high achieving student who is involved in numerous in and out of school activities, I find that the inclusion of C's truly lacks the integrity and inconsiderateness of the title validictorian that should be given as an honor. I find that allowing a valadictorian with B's is frankly a generous effort in promoting students to strive to be a valadictorian. By including C's, we are lowering our standards
059and we are lowering our expectations in our students amongst the district. It promotes an image of averess. This will inflate grades and potentially cause teachers to begin to grade even more strictly towards assignments. Students should not be allowed to change rules just because they want to be an exception. A student knows firsthand before they're taking a class that they'll be capable of taking that advanced class. There are drop dates and there are teachers who are even willing to reach out to have a conversation with students who feel they might be unable to maintain their grades. Overall, it's very unfair to students who truly dedicate their time to school to be seen the same as a student who juggles more things than they should. Um, by the time they're in high school, students should be able
060to know their weaknesses and know their strengths. There are students who take AP classes just to take them because they hear about the augmented scale. And by allowing C's, students will take advantage of this potential policy. You need to show up, put the extra effort and consideration into taking these classes that you're taking. The validatoran policy should stay the same. And if B's are too lenient, then we should only allow A's for our validatorans. Thank you. >> Next from Justin Garza High School, Shagan Shagan. >> Good afternoon everyone. I'm Shugen, a freshman from Justin Garza High School, and I believe that receiving a C in AP honors or advanced classes should not automatically disqualify a student from achieving valictorian. I myself all had last had all last A's last semester except AP and due to
061that, it ruined my chance for the rest of my three and a half years of hard work. Thank you >> from Justin Garza High School. Alyssa Hernandez from Justin Garza High School. Pierce Vasquez. from Central East High School. Scarlet Bang. Ladies and gentlemen, we're also getting towards the end of our list here. If you have not been called yet, please if you can sit in the seats behind me and we can confirm your entries. Only those who have completed the QR code will be able to speak for their three minutes allotted time. Next up from Justin Garza High School, Reneia Tadros. from Central High School. Myra Cabz Velasquez. Good evening everybody. I am a senior at Central High School and I would like to speak about why the policy should be changed. A validictorian is
062defined as a title given to those with the highest GPA among the graduating class. In the Central Unified School District, a student can earn the title by maintaining a 4.0 GPA or higher. So, why are we stripped Why are we stripping our 4.0 students of that title? In order for one to receive a 4.0 you know, despite having a C-grade, they have to have a have taken an AP, honors, or dual enrollment class throughout one of the four years that they attended that high school. That alone requires a lot of effort and to get back on track in order to be a valadictorian. We cannot take pride in our students academics excellence if we are punishing those who work twice as hard to do so. I, for example, received two C's, one of which being
063in an AP course and the other one in a dual enrollment course. And that was due to me being in the hospital the day that our final was due. So why am I no longer allowed to be a valadictorian? Because I was having a medical emergency. My professor tried to help me, but due to the class being closed, said that it was no longer possible. So now my transcript now has two C's. Not only that, but I also deal with mental health issues that put me behind of other students who are able to study harder to maybe get more help. So why am I set to the same standard as those students? Why am I set to the same standard as students who are taking normal classes? I believe that this should be changed for
064the graduating class of 2026. so those students including me can earn the title that they rightfully deserve and not only my class but all the classes that follow. Thank you from Central High School. Karai Paige. Next we have a parent from Justin Garza High School, Rick Ardando. Thank you to the panel for taking this time to hear the words from everybody interested in this hot topic. Special thanks to Principal Rubio because she was part of the conversation that we had. Excuse me. That was um really our motivation for being here today. I am accompanied by my daughter Ashley who is a parent of a Justin Garza student who since grades have been issued out through elementary from elementary school through middle school and into high school. Um, my granddaughter, a student here at Justin Garza,
065has not received any grade lower than an A, including in classes that are AP related and dual enrollment related, with the exception of one course in her junior year, so 2425, where she received one semester of C. Our understanding is because of that one C-grade, she no longer meets the criteria to be considered a validictorian despite her performance leading up to and following that one semester. Some comments were made here just a little earlier related to regarding another student who also attends Southern Gardens that experienced the same um challenges related to the course that resulted in a a C-grade. And I don't know if this conversation this evening, what you're hearing from the public will is help is will be considered in determining what the validictorian criteria is for this school year that we're in.
066I hope it is. That's why we're making the comments. But nonetheless, as was expressed earlier and we concur with is that ch students are being discouraged from taking any challenging classes to push themselves because it could result in disqualification of validictorian recognition. Unfortunately, this is what happened to my granddaughter following her junior year. she made the decision to not put herself in any more jeopardy of grades that are going to harm her status moving forward, especially as it relates to college. So our request in support of others as well is to please continue to consider the ramifications, the um the harm that it can do to not only what students are working toward in recognition and celebration with their family and with their school district, but also their future enrollment in college. Thank you. Next
067we have parent from Justin Garza High School, Elelliana Montahano. >> Good evening board members. This today I'm here to represent my daughter. Thank you for taking the opportunity to speak to us today. I am here to respectfully repo propose a change to the current validictorian requirements which mandates a weighted 4.0 with no C's. The title validictorian is intended to honor the students who best represent academic excellence, perseverance, and long-term commitment to learning. While this current uh policy aims to uphold higher standards, it does not really truly reflect how academic ac excellence commonly defined is commonly defined or recognized at a national level. Across the country, the vast majority of high schools determine validatoran status based on the highest weighted GPA. This approach acknowledges both overall academic performance and course rigor over time rather than disqualification
068of students based on a single grade. Our current requirement goes beyond national norms by requiring not only a perfect weighted GPA but also the complete absence of any C grades throughout the four years they're in high school. A single grade earned a single C Craig earned during a particular challenging course. a demanding academic year or under personal circumstance can permanently eliminate a student from validictorian consideration regardless of how exceptional their over academic year went. This standard prioritizes perfection over growth, consistency, and perseverance. High school is not only a straight line. Students challenge themselves through AP honors or dual courses, take academic risks, and balance responsibilities both inside and outside of the classroom. With with when a highest academic honor allows no room for imperfection, it can unintentionally discourage students from taking the most rigorous course
069courses available. Thank you for your time, >> Dr. Marshall. our board of trustees and esteemed principles as well as ladies and gentlemen here in audience here tonight at our town hall meeting. Uh that was the final entry at this moment in time. Uh please as a reminder for those that do wish to speak who has not spoken yet, the QR code in the back would be our only entry at this time. Um if you believe that you have completed the entry and would like to double check, please report to me in the front and I will double check your entries at this time. Uh [clears throat] I do have uh one I guess it's a um kudos for the the audience this evening. This was very refreshing to listen tonight. I mean as an audience
070I wish that more you know more adults you know the way that you students this is the way to have a difference different opinions and be able to express yourselves. this this is how it's done. So I I really need to point that out as far as um where we are in the process. What's going to happen is that this meeting is being recorded. In addition to that, there was a virtual option. So there a lot of people that already commented as well. So this information will be taken and synthesized and then we'll move forward from there. So I wanted to just say that. But again, my highlight for the evening is the fact that you had different perspectives, different schools, different viewpoints, and you respect, you know, you were very respectful of each other's
071positions. No one was rude, and it's the way that we have professional discourse. So, kudos again. Uh, to the principles, thank you for being here. I mean, you have great students obviously. You see all all the schools represented. did great job over there. To the staff here that ran everything, our staff that came out tonight, thank you for helping. Parents, thank you for coming and supporting your students. It was a great night for Central Unifi. So stay tuned for the next steps. Thank you. This concludes our presentation.